Building Your Author Bio or Credentials

At the beginning of your career, you may not have a long list of publications that you can include in your Author Bio. However, there are a number of things that you can do to help build your credentials.

Get published You don’t have to have published books. Any other publications show that you are serious about writing. For example:

Magazines

Journals

Newspapers

Newsletters

Blogs

Think outside the box. Could you write an historical article for the local newspaper? Could you be a guest blogger on a friend’s blog? Do you know of somewhere you could write book reviews? Do you have scholarly articles on architecture from university you could consider submitting? Any of these will help to build a respectable Author Bio.

Some resources to find other publishing credits:

Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers: The 2017 print edition of this directory is now available. It also includes a helpful section on contests and awards. $26.95. Available through the Institute for Writers.

Enter writing competitions I like these competitions in particular because they consider children’s literature as separate from writing for adults.

The Writing for Children Competition hosted by CANSCAIP and The Writers’ Union of Canada. This contest is near and dear to my heart as in 2011, before Skink on the Brink was published, it won this Canada-wide competition. Definitely the highlight of my writing career to this point!

Seven Hills Literary Competition: Organised through the Tallahassee Writers Association. They publish all competition winners in the Seven Hills Review, an anthology with a very small print run that you can actually buy on Amazon.

Of course, there are other children’s writing competitions – but not many. I may not have entered them myself but that doesn’t mean they are not reputable. However, you should always be careful when sending your manuscript and your entry fee. You want to make sure you are dealing with a responsible governing body and be certain that you retain all rights to your work.

If you write for adults, there may also be other competitions (e.g. short story contests, postcard competitions, etc.) to help you get those credits under your belt. If you’re local to the Fergus/ Elora area, then of course check out the Elora Writers’ Festival competitions. You can also find writing contests more specifically suited to your own work in guides such as Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers.

Take courses Aspiring and established authors can take courses to learn more about the craft of writing. These are also terrific additions to any Author Bio.

George Brown College: Offers courses in creative writing, including writing children’s fiction (taught by Ted Staunton) and writing non-fiction for children (taught by Cathy Rondina.)

Ryerson University: Offers a range of creative writing courses and workshops, including writing for the children’s market.

University of Toronto: Offers a Certificate in Creative Writing, as well as a number of individual courses focused on writing for children (e.g. picture books, young adult, etc.)

Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA): Offers a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Most is done from home by correspondence with two 10-day on-campus residences. Also offers a Graduate Certificate in Picture Books.

Attend conferences Conferences are great places to develop your skills, learn the latest about the industry and to meet writers, editors and publishers. Being able to say you met someone at a conference, or saw them present, gives you an opening when sending your submission and shows that you are serious about developing your craft. You may even get an opportunity to talk to an agent or an editor, so be prepared with your elevator pitch.

Some good conferences include:

Canadian Society of Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP) Packaging Your Imagination Conference. Held every November in Toronto. www.canscaip.org

Highlights Foundation Workshops: The Highlights Foundation offers over three dozen workshops per year covering a wide range of topics and offering encouragement for both beginning and published authors and illustrators. Highlights Foundation workshops are held in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, but many Canadians attend.

The smaller conferences, WordSpring and WordsFall, are hosted by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick each May and November respectively.

Join an association There are many good associations for professional and aspiring writers. Some are national or international in scope, while others are regional in nature. The level of resources offered to members will vary, but they all provide an opportunity to network with other writers and demonstrate your professional commitment.

Additional/ Significant Steps You Can be Taking As you continue writing and building your credentials, it is helpful to continue building your network of writers and industry contacts. Attending courses and conferences and joining associations are useful, but there are other ways that you can expand your network.

Find a critique group (online or in person)

A great resource for feedback on your writing, but often a place to share information about the industry too.

An example I have found particularly helpful is “Kidcrit.” Open to new members who are serious, committed writers for children, even if they’re not yet published.

Ontario Library Association Superconference – in Toronto in February. (Admission to the Expo part of the event is usually $45. It’s a great way to browse publishers’ tables, meet people and see what’s going on in the book world.)

The Festival of Trees – Canada’s largest literary event for children and teens. The awards ceremonies take place in Toronto and satellite cities across Ontario in May.